My Thankful "runners" ABC List:

A - adrenaline & ability
B - brooks cascadia
C - courage
D - dirt & downhill
E - excitement
F - forest & friends
G - grit (it turns out, is an essential and often overlooked component of success.)
H - heart & "hammered"
I - insight
J - jumping, in my brooks.
K - kid like running.
L - love, of the trail.
M - mud & miles
N - nature
O - orange, the color of fall.
P - passion for puddles
Q - quick, being quick.
R - running & recovery
S - speed
T - trail & training
U - underated
V - vengeance & vertical
W - weights
X - Xtra time on the trail. (that was a tough one)
Y - yoga
Z - zippy

I can run therefore...I am thankful!
The Lord has given me the delights of my heart. Ps. 37:4

Life is a balancing act

As my running is starting to pick up again I find myself already trying to figure out how I'll balance my running. Managing a family & church & running can be quite challenging.

At times I find myself in my kitchen with the music blaring and the driving music pushes me instantly to the woods....running for all I'm worth! Voices call, "mommy,mommy", and reality is rushed right back.

So as I begin to get back into the swing of things I have to re-evaluate what I'm willing to sacrifice and what I'm not. What's important to me and what isn't.

This last week was somewhat scheduled for me. Being able to run again since my gluteus injury, has been absolutely wonderful! Saturday was our 1st "Long Run" in awhile. 3 hours on Wildwood was so enjoyable! I had some major downhill running and it felt amazingly exilerating!! I know I did too much but, my body took over and ran hard. I was slowly making it back to the parking lot just as I could feel my hip tightening up. I need to remember to take it easy coming back from this so I can be strong for next year.....but when I get out on the trail I just seem to forget everything and run like a dog!

I'll try to be better next week...........

Is it "back in the saddle" or "on the road again?"

Back in the saddle or on the road again, either suits me just fine!

My gluteus Medius has been an issue for me for quite sometime. My hip flexors and IT Band went along for the ride as well! I have spent too many days "walking" on the trail and even more beating my rear with a tennis ball & then finally moving on to the big girl "foam roller".

I am glad to report that things are on the up swing and I am on the road again & trail too! I am trying to pull back on the reigns and be a good girl and run nice and easy. The trail still works me harder than the road, so I'm taking great care to move slowly. I ran a 10K on Sat. It was the first time I had ran any kind of a track workout in months. So, the end result was a slower than usual pace. I was so out of shape, I never knew I could get "so" red.

About 30 min. after the race, a storm broke out with thunder and all. I love the Oregon weather, the wind & rain are a great change of scenery. Mud puddles & the rain on my face are alright by me

I'm offically signed up to run Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, California on Feb. 7th, 2010. It will be the first time I have "trained" for a marathon.

I am so excited for the new year to get here! Meanwhile, the Fall & Winter season bring - 1 of my daughters turning 6 years old in November & my oldest daughter giving birth in December! Thanksgiving & Christmas are around the corner, the new year is looking like it too will be full of more adventures!

McKenzie 50K

The last "Race" of the season! McKenzie 50K. I headed into this race with some trepidation. I had no pace chart and I hadn't ask a million and one questions about the race. The course was beautiful and an easier trail with some fun technical which is usally my favorite. I pushed where I could and just kept counting down the aidstations.

My glute muscle was worn out from pacing Gary in CCC 100. I was just going to run a good race!, and that is exactly what I did. About 45 min. into the race I started to feel pain in hip/ITB/glute, I knew it was the beginning of something not so good. I tried to make my brain go somewhere else and not dwell on the fact of what was to come. I decided I needed to pick a word. I needed a "word" to focus on when things hurt...Fierce! - That was the word of the day!

The pain would come and go as I would allow it. The hill climbs although they were small used all the muscle I had in my glutes and the strain was felt all down my left leg. I know I also tried to compensate for hurting on the left and over using my right leg. It was a very runnable course. I kept running "my" race. I came into the home stretch and of course found some zest for life once I heard I was only about 2 miles from the finish! I headed up to the finish line with hoops & hollers!

The race was over @ 6:03. I went on to win my age division for women in the Oregon Trail Series. That is a major accomplishment for only running for 2 years.

Now is a time to heal my injury and build some muscle and loose some fat! Cardio/weights are on my schedule for the Fall. I going to take a small break from running probably 2 or 3 weeks. That means me and my bike will become closer friends!

Cascade Crest Challenge 100 - Pacer

The Starting Line - CCC 100 Mile Race

The previous week I did Where is Waldo 100K. Now we headed up to Easton Washington to "Do" Gary's first 100 mile race! He was nervous and ready to go at the same time. The 10am start gave Gary plenty of time to get things done and then sit and wait! They took off and Gary was going to be starting off nice and slow. I wouldn't see him for 23 miles. When I saw him @ 23 miles he looked good and way ahead of schedule. We had a hard time gauging how long the race would take him, so we settle on someone else's times and made our chart. He was now 1 hour ahead of schedule.

Gary @ the Start

Gary @ mile 33.

At mile 33 - He looked great and felt great.
At mile 40 - He felt the same.
At mile 47 - He had a small hotspot but nothing major so they left the small blister.

I was sure at mile 53, that would give me a good gauge at how things were "really" going. Gary came into Hyak AS, he looked great and said, "everything was firing and his legs felt great". That was when my adreneline really began to race! I was so excited for him. We ran along the paved section for about 5 min. together. I encouraged him to take it easy up the next climb and gain on the downhill if he could. I would be running with him from Kachess Lake to the finish.

I met him up @ Kachess Lake, we ran the "Evil Forest Trail or the Trail from H-e-double toothpicks! It was an amazing trail, I was fresh and he was not but we stayed right together. I was running with a handheld light which was new and a disaster...I dropped it about 10 ft. off the trail and then the battery died. We ran for about 1/2 mile with only Gary's headlamp with me out front which was quite tricky and scary. Finally Rod H. from Hawaii, came by and we asked if he had an extra light and "YES" was his answer. The 3 of us stayed together for most of the time till No Name Ridge. I took pictures of Rod & filled his water bottle, trying to make up for such great kindness.

Rod H. - almost to No Name Ridge.

After No Name Ridge - Mile 80, I knew it would be a challenge for me to keep up with Gary. The views were spectacular and amazingly hard! After Thorpe we headed down to French Cabin AS. We had a couple of really hard climbs - Cardiac style. From French Cabin - we had 6 miles of major downhill.

Gary shot like a bullet on the steep downhills and I hung tight on his heels. The last mile before AS - Silver Creek the incline was so steep that my IT band was becoming unbearable. Approx. 200 yards before the AS, I shouted to Gary to go ahead and I'd see him at the finish. He dropped his pacer! That was the last thing I thought would happen, but he was so strong and had such a great race!

He finished @25:12, 28th overall out of 128 people. He is so amazing!! I came in about 12 min. after him. We had a long drive home, neither one of us could keep our eyes opened. I drove for awhile then stopped for a triple espresso & a burger. Nothing seemed to help. Gary took over and drove the next 1.5 hours home. We made it to Beaverton to pick up the kids and took a small nap at my moms before loading up the kids to drive another hour home.

CCC 100 - Is all we can seem to talk about! And of course, next years races are dancing in our heads!

W.W.W.D.

What Would Waldo Do? There is no way around it...Waldo kicked my fanny!!
It was the hardest thing I've ever done. If I would have "really" known what I was in
for I would have been really scared!

5:00am Start time: We started at 5000 ft. with approx. 1500 feet elevation gain in the first 2 or so miles. When I crested the top and headed to single track trail, I felt motion sickness...which I'm sure was the sudden elevation gain. My ears were popping like crazy. Then for the downhill, it was a nice gradual slope and the daylight was starting to break and that was nice. I hit my AS 1, right on schedule. Gary met me and handed of fresh bottles and gels and away I went to climb Mt. Fuji for another apprx. 1500 ft.

I did a lot of run/walk up to Mt. Fuji, it was nice to turn and head back down to AS2 & 3. I was on schedule for the most part. It took me a little longer to climb Mt. Fuji, but I was a little faster on the downhill, so it all evened out.

AS4: I met Gary again, this time the kids were awake and screaming for me! Hannah was my big cheerleader of the day. I grabbed my stuff and Gary pushed me through the AS.

Now I was headed to the Twins & Lake Charlton. I was not feeling it at this point. No music was allowed on the course and I was talking to myself very badly! That isn't helpful!

AS5: Charlton Lake - I entered the AS with thoughts of "NOT" being pushed through. I changed my shirt and looked at Gary and almost cried! This is hard, I don't feel good! - He reassured me I was doing good, just keep moving and that Kris Ryding wasn't too far ahead....he knows I like some kind of challenge. He just didn't know that the challenge would be just to keep me moving.

AS6: Road 4290 - I was feeling better and knew that I would finish the race, it just wasn't going to be the pace that I wanted.

AS7: Twins - I was somewhat dehydrated and grab my stuff again from Gary and headed to Maiden Peak AS.

AS8: Okay, I thought this is where the hill repeats would come in.....I had no idea that it was an 80% grade!!haha. - I did some running right out of the AS and did that for about 1/2 mile. I tried to walk with a purpose, but I think I was still lacking.

Maiden Peak: It was the most spectacular views! It truly was beautiful, but I wondered how I was going to get down after all this climbing....my downhill is usually good, but I was seriously moving slow. I was a little dizzy, so I fueled and headed down to lower elevation.

AS9: Maiden Lake - When I got here, it was not pretty...I was pooped!! I was greeted by two friends - Caroline & Stacey. They were pivitol in getting me refocused for the downhill. Stacey gave me the mileage breaks and gave me some time projections in order to make the cut-off of 16 hours. At 16 hours you get a hat....past that Nothing! It sounds crazy but, I wanted that hat!

I headed down the trail slowly. I knew I had 3 1/2 miles to the PCT trail and then another 4 to the finish. Once, I hit the PCT - I looked at my watch and knew I had to get moving to get in within 16 hours and to beat the sunset.

I started passing people that passed me earlier, my pace started to pick up! I was feeling it and took off. I had some flat running around the Rosary Lakes but, managed to keep a consistant pace. After the last Rosary Lake, I met up with Eric True. We had been taking turns passing each other all day. I passed Eric and he jumped in behind me and we ran together the rest of the way to the finish. It was nice to push/pull each other! The last 2 miles it was "dark", we managed to run as our eyes adjusted. It was a GREAT sight to see glow sticks, that meant we were close to the finish. We saw a group of people with flashlights. I said, "How much further?" They said, "About a 100 yards". We rounded the corner and I started yelling!!! Yes, lights & the finish line. I was so happy to finally be done! 15:38!

I learned a lot from this race.

1. Waldo is hard!
2. It was really hard!
3. Super dooper hard!
4. No joking it was hard!







It has been so amazingly hard and I walked like a stiff legged person for 2 days! I had one big blister but that's it. I've learned a lot this last race.

Me & Eric True on the finish!
















Me, Kassidy (daughter) & John (son-in-law)
Sophia, Ben, Hannah. We were only missing Joey & family!



Next week I pace Gary the last 25 miles of his 1st 100 mile run! woot woot!

M&M'S - (And it doesn't stand for candy!)

Mosquitoes & Mountains, Oh My!

Waldo 100K - Sat. Aug. 22nd.
Look for my next post. I'm excited, It's going to be incredible to see what God can do with this "shell" of a body.

But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Is.40:31)